Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

@Vintage & @Katharine ...... I did the same exact thing VINTAGEGIRL just did....now I will continue..... LOL 

OMG SUCH EXCITING UPDATES!!!  

Katharine-- YEAH!!!!!! I guess Naval intelligence got wind of what was happening and decided that allowing your lost puppy to call home was better than a major national incident!! (And just what were you thinking of doing with those apples????? ;) )  I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Happy for you!! Did you perchance think to get an address?  What about a PIR date? I'm so glad you were all able to be there and talk to him AND keep it together!! YEA!!!!!!!!

Shanny, I could try to answer, but in the time of COVID, it could be no one knows what's up.  I do know they're not taking home leave between school and their duty station, and that every base/command has some sort of restrictions on liberty once they do arrive.  The Navy arranges their travel.  

Shanny-- Ask here.  We can at least direct you to the right place.

Thanks Posse .... y'all had them shaking in their boots. Puppy found, clothes returned .... now can we do something about the Post Office? I still have lots of apples (only froze 80 pounds so far). 

Navy mom minds think alike!!!

Katharine:  I am sooooo happy the lost puppy is found!  Reading your post actually brought tears to my eyes!  I can't imagine what you've been through!  After you told him you loved him and are SO proud of him, did you tell him to not ever do that to you again?!?!  It's so wonderful to hear from them and that they are doing well!  

Oops!  Just read your second post!  So he was being a good boy and sending letters--they just got lost!  Ugh!

Anti M:  he arrived at A school. They cut his time there in half and has his duty station already. He was informed that once he reaches his duty station he will have 14 days leave. So you kind of answered that question. He most likely won't have it?  

Katharine:  i would contact whoever is in charge at the post office and ask for some help. And if they are as worthless as I imagine, I would find out who is on charge over them. There is always a chain of command so to speak. But...  BNMHs!!!  I am so happy for you!  Is there someone else he could send letters to that could delivery them to you?  Like my son was doing for the thankfully ex GF?  He was sending them to me and writing on the back-this is for xxxxxx please deliver to her. Then I knew which were mine and which were hers. 

Also, in your opinions should I hold off on sending him the things he asked for until he gets to his duty station?  He will be in A school less than a month now

VintageGal:  aww is that a good thing?  I'm not sure how the leave thing works. I asked but he is finishing paperwork-6 hours later lol and hasn't answered

Shanny -- Yes I'd wait.  There is a chance (a slim one, but a chance none the less) that he may be able to take that leave but he will not know for sure until gets there. It will depend on where they are in their cycle.

VintageGal:  Thats awesome!!  I think it is a rough road to live but I think it is worth it and shows a true love. I am glad you all like her...  maybe he can teach my kid to find better ones lol I never like his

Only 3 pages behind buttttttt this whole time I thought Katharine REALLY had an ACTUAL lost puppy. I’m such an ass. Side note: I’m blonde. Idk how the heck I missed that!

I CANT BELIEVE you finally heard from him!! My god!!  I agree with @shanny it was DEFINITELY the Posse/Puppy Brigade coming that scared everything into coming together!!! Wow! And the clothes were RETURNED?!!!! Let the laundry begin sister!!!! Woohoo! Holy moly did this happen in the same day?? If yes I wanna see what was aligned. This is such incredible news! 

Speaking of.....today after watching a video of an 8 yr old organizing her dresser drawers, I got 4 trash bags & I went to town on everything in my SRs room. *must watch on Netflix/follow The Home Edit!!!* Then I Marie Kondo’d the crap outta his drawers and got rid of sooo much that he never wore, wore too much or wore 10 yrs ago. Hopefully one day before the elastic rots in the shorts and fabric of the shirts disintegrate,  I can donate clothes again. (Post Covid)

@Csmom....You had great news too!!! I’m so happy for you! 

@katharine......YOU ARE A RIOT!! 

I have the biggest smile from reading all of these amazing updates!! Time to punish myself ...errrr I mean get on the elliptical. 

Love you all!!!!!!

VintageGal -- I was 20 when we got married.  32 years later we are still going strong!  My BIL made me laugh, he asked if we were always so sweet to each other.  I told him I thought so.  He then spent the rest of the week trying to get us to argue about anything.  We really don't often and we do really love each other.  I seek to call him sweet names, Beloved, Handsome, sexy, dearest... when asking for favors or responding to his request just as a reminder that I chose him and serving him or being served by him is a blessing and a gift.  By not taking him for granted, we have strengthened our marriage.  We do fight. we are sometimes unkind and we have had times where we wondered if it was worth it, just like every one does.  We also have a slightly warped sense of humor. when we got married my dad told him that I was no longer "New" and therefore there were no returns.  We also joke that While Divorce is NOT an option, murder is still on the table!!

Hello all

Katherine - I’m glad you finally heard from your lost SR puppy. Now you can breathe easier. I hope you recover completely from your concussion. 

Shanny - Congrats on your sailor, and I’m glad you got the clothes back. 

BelovedbyHim :  My husband and I were also married at 20 years old 32 years ago!  We were such babies!  Lol  our kids are all older than we were when we got married, but i think pf them as still kids.  I wonder if that will ever change?  

Shanny, that's awesome!! Where is he going to Aschool and what base for his first duty station? I would wait until after he gets to A school he'll be able to tell you then whether to send them or not?

Kristel2400- you had me cracking up. 

Katharine- oh my gosh. I am so happy for you. I am happy that he is happy and doing well.

Yeah!! Now let's work on that post office. That is crazy that he has mailed letters and they haven't delivered them. 

VintageGal- that is awesome. My brother and his wife married young and were married 40 years before he passed. That's so great that she hangs out with you guys. 

It was a good work day, heard from my Sailor so that's always a plus. 

Anti M, glad things are falling into place. The yard is going ro look so good after your friends get out there. 

Ohoenixmom- Glad to hear your weekend was great. 

Khawk1290 & NewMilmom2020-- I just got back and wanted to welcome you.  Did anyone direct you to my Blog? (First Things First-- The Quarantine Edition )  Is there anything we can answer for you are are you good?

Good Evening!! I think I am caught up on the messages!!

Katharine - The Lost has been found!!! Yeah (at least as far as getting a phone call, still hoping for those letters to show up!) 

Shanny - Yeah!!! The clothes are back. Like LBF said, is your hoodie in there?

Kristel 2400 - You are a hoot!! 

Anti M - Glad to hear that all of your yard work is coming together. 

Everyone - remember to check out the discussions above, there have been some other posts with PIR information shared.

VintageGal - Your DIL will be blessed to have a MIL who understands the Navy life and who freely welcomes her into your home!!

BelovedbyHim - Yes, we shared your blog every time we had a newcomer and sometimes twice - but it is still really nice to have you back on.

Kim - I think you all got a letter or a call as well!

It is late and I need to check my other groups - everyone have a good evening! 

Katherine - I am so happy for you. I too love your humor. But one thing went way over my blonde head!  Have you thought about a PO Box to solve your mail issues? You earned that 40 minute call!

kristel - you’re not the only “dumb” blonde. I’m not usually so obtuse, but I too thought poor Katherine had a lost puppy, a concussion and troubles locating her SR-all at once!!  Even after she posted the puppy was found, I was wondering where he possibly could have been for 6 weeks! 

Shanny - so glad you didn’t have to see her or go get those clothes! I’m sure she lost out big time on your fine young man. Good riddance to her. I hope you stick around BC group. I’ve enjoyed your comments and can see the close bonds you have formed with this wonderful group of ladies. 

beloved & Chipmunk - I’m concerned about OPSEC. Makes me want to delete everything Facebook. Soooo much sharing on there about Ship & Division. I really thought it was ok during boot camp but not after.... of course, now that I heard from my SR, I don’t need the extra support. N4M is enough for me :)

Everyone else - so glad you heard from your SRs. Such a small thing, yet so huge to us. My heart is still happy after yesterday’s call. I soooo look forward to when we can just chat on the phone and catch up when he gets to A school. 

have a nice night ladies! 

partyofseven, Shanny - I complain a few times a month .... local Postmaster. regional Postmaster, and the complaint form on their website. Amazon hears from me too because they send some things through mail too. 

Vintage, C'sMom - We were 20 also and just hit 30 years this year.

Vintage  - yes with the throwing apples. I bring them cookies and Hallowe'en treats .... enough carrots .... it is time for sticks.

Kristel - I was blonde too  ...... until the "accident"  ...... last week. My hair gets really light in the summer, but my roots come in dark in the winter, so in the winter it looks like I have a "bad dye job". So ...... I decided to darken my hair a "tiny bit" so the summer blonde would not be so stark. I guess my hair absorbs darker dyes very well .... it is darker than any shades on the box .... including the one it should be if I had used this dye on dark brown hair. Oops. Very Light Golden Blonde is a nice coppery chestnut on me. The dogs are not pleased (P.S. I have a great elliptical playlist .... or 20 ... they go from 105bpm to 200bpm ... name your poison/speed).

My hoodie is here!!!  Woohooo. I don’t know that I will ever wear it again but I have it!  
I can’t  go to sleep. Every time I think I am going to...  the phone rings. He keeps calling because he forgot to tell me something. He has had his room for 2 hours...  and another guy just came in and was asking him if he could go somewhere in his shorts. And asking him rules. He was like I’ve been here an hour man. 

DavesMom2020 - You will definitely have an opportunity for more consistent phone time with your sailor when he goes to school, then it will change when he goes out into the fleet and schedules get mixed up on them and you are trying to stay adrift of what schedule they are on!

As for FB - it is hard to say. I think it mostly depends on what you are most comfortable with. The pages of the private groups are not visible unless you are a member and so I think people feel more at ease and think it is okay to share things and don't really stop to think that maybe someone else doesn't want to share the same information. Some people just are not as knowledgeable, and some just don't think it is that big of an issue. It just depends. 

Shanny - it’s so awesome that he keeps calling. Who needs sleep anyway. When my son would come home from college (a1 hour drive), it was often in the wee hours. If I heard him, I’d get up and visit. I valued time talking to him way more than sleep. I hope you’re enjoying it too. 

Dave'sMom - Funny you should mention the PO Box. Apparently, some time in the 90's, the Post Office, in a cost-cutting measure, decided that no one within a 0.25 mile walking radius of the Post Office shall ever receive HOME DELIVERY again. We are 0.24 miles from our little sub-PostOffice. So we do NOT get home delivery. We can have a 4"x4" box for free at the Post Office. Not even letters fit in that.

So, for the "privilege" of having a 4"x6" box, we pay an extra $54 fee per quarter. So they can lose, smush, crinkle, mangle, crease, rumple, misplace, wreck, ruin my mail.

Sometimes I wonder if we are paying the fee to see how many ways they can destroy, smush, lose, crinkle, mangle, crease, rumple, misplace, wreck, and ruin things. If that is the measure ...... they ALL  need a raise. And WA is a vote-by-mail state!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

partyofseven, Shanny - I complain a few times a month .... local Postmaster. regional Postmaster, and the complaint form on their website. Amazon hears from me too because they send some things through mail too. 

Vintage, C'sMom - We were 20 also and just hit 30 years this year.

Vintage  - yes with the throwing apples. I bring them cookies and Hallowe'en treats .... enough carrots .... it is time for sticks.

Kristel - I was blonde too  ...... until the "accident"  ...... last week. My hair gets really light in the summer, but my roots come in dark in the winter, so in the winter it looks like I have a "bad dye job". So ...... I decided to darken my hair a "tiny bit" so the summer blonde would not be so stark. I guess my hair absorbs darker dyes very well .... it is darker than any shades on the box .... including the one it should be if I had used this dye on dark brown hair. Oops. Very Light Golden Blonde is a nice coppery chestnut on me. The dogs are not pleased (P.S. I have a great elliptical playlist .... or 20 ... they go from 105bpm to 200bpm ... name your poison/speed).

Katharine I think we live in the same town. I live two blocks from the post office. My next door neighbor in the corner put their mailbox on the other side of her house so they get it delivered. We have to have a post office box because our road is not on the route and is considered in town 

One more funny thing .... my SR, who NEVER brushed his teeth until he had a girlfriend (I gave up around age 12, but he never had a cavity ..... floss .... what planet is that from?), in his phone call, sais he is brushing and flossing twice per day, and used his first NEX trip to buy flossing sticks (like Mom has) because he hates touching the wet and slimy floss. Hahahahahaha. My husband said "He flosses????". Thank-you Navy!

Shanny - Uggghhhhhh. Post Office. I just feel really bad for my elderly neighbors. Our street has not been paved for over 25 years. Even though it is within 0.25 miles of the Post Office, there are no sidewalks and the road has more pot holes than a 13-year-old's face!!!

@shanny.....I love that he keeps calling and I long for those days. It’s adorable. Sleep is overrated. LOL I hope we still hear from you now that he’s not in BC anymore. You’re a fun girl and I really enjoyed the stories and convos!!

@Daves....that’s EXACTLY what I thought was going on!! I saw all these msgs and thought where the heck was her puppy & who found it?!?!? I’ve gotten up late with my son when he would go out (not very often) or if I wanted to hang out & watch him playing fun games (like Pictionary) with online friends and those nights, I treasure the convos & laughter. 

@katharine....so it sounds like you got low lights. That’s the trick!! Plus it gives you dimension. So much easier on you when it grows in.I put those back in a few weeks ago. I tried to go platinum annnnnnd apparently my roots aren’t white enough to do that without repeatedly bleaching it so I basically suffered a lot of damage/breakage. It’s getting better now. That’s freakin crazy about the post office! I didn’t know that!! I’d want to move too. I’m curious about this playlist!! It sounds effective. Is there a way to share it?? If yes, I’ll DM you. 

For the ladies with mailboxes....instead of staring out the window or running to the window when a car goes by slowly THINKING it’s the mail guy/gal -  I put the flag up - so when it’s down, I know he was here!! Us mamas need to get creative. 

Katherine - oh my! I suppose you’ve already tried making someone at the post office your best friend?! Turn those apples into pie and “deliver” It to them, as often as necessary. 

Maybe the Navy will teach my son to floss too! Lord knows his dad was unsuccessful (in spite of going to dental school and setting an outstanding example). I’m hoping the Navy will teach my son to write neatly too! 

Chipmunk - thank you for ALWAYS answering with such detail. And congratulations on your sons continued achievements in the fleet. Way to go!!

@phoenix, @beloved, @party, @LBF, @antim & @chipmunk.....Just wanted to say HELLO!!! :-) 

Vintage, I am toasting with you, congratulations Katherine, I really thought your were really down on your luck, head injury, lost puppy and a missing recruit. Not exactly a blonde, just wasn't wise enough to be sporting the gray so I bottled the blonde, now I have a excuse to be ditzy. 

Good morning everyone! Okay, so I arose early and logged on because I really have to get work done today and it is a busy one for us anyway. You ladies are cracking me up with your blond comments. And I don't have any to join in with, except that I will say, Kristel2400 I had to reread your post twice. I was trying to figure out what lights you were referring to with Katharine. I am thinking what post did I miss about Katharine, her head injury and lights affecting her eyes. Then I realized you were talking about her hair!! LOL!

This strawberry blond has only had permanents in my hair and after #5, I gave up because they quit taking well. I don't color and the grey is coming in but my husband likes it, my boys especially are not bothered by my "natural" self and the girls never comment. :-) - They just help cut my hair for me!

Everyone have a great day!!  For all of our new members, please don't hesitate to share. I think I noticed Phoenixmom posted TGs up to November already!!

As for those of you wondering about holiday leave with your sailor's, it really is going to depend on their command. There are so many factors in play these days and depending on what the mission is for their schools, or duty station and command nothing is the same. So the best intel is from your sailor - and sometimes, unfortunately, they may be still trying to figure things out themselves (your soon to be sailor that is.)

So I raced home from work to get our letter from the mailbox and even shouted to the dog that we got mail today. He was so confused that I didn't even open his kennel door first! To my surprise there was no letter. As it was a windy day where we live I panicked thinking it had blown away with a few other items that weren't in the box either. I looked through the bushes for a glimpse of lost mail, nothing. I then continued my search along the neighboring property which happens to be a bank. The vehicles in the drive up all looked at me like a robbery was about to take place. Luckily the authorities were not called, lol. I then jumped in the car and made it to the post office just before they closed. I informed them that some of our mail was not delivered. The lady apologized and said "let me get it for you". Again nothing! She then informed me that informed delivery is often a day behind in our rural area, OUCH! What a day, lol. Soooo today we will hopefully see our long lost letter. We love riding roller coasters but don't want to ride this one any longer, LOL

Good morning ladies!  Seriously just woke up to a bunch of texts about food, the blue angels, and don’t forget to go to the gun store and see if the ammo shortage has ended because you will need to get some hollow points for that gun. He’s definitely BACKKKKK

Oh Kim!! We are right there with you!! And yes, as nice as ID is, for those in rural areas or just smaller cities away from the main distribution hub, it can take an extra day or so, which is so frustrating!!

Shanny - Just like we never stop being Mom or other adult loved one in a kid's life, they never stop thinking about us and checking up on us. They have put themselves on the front lines, but the home fires are still burning and they want to make sure we are safe. 

Hoping for more letters and phone calls to be coming everyone's way!!

@Northwoods....LOLLLL!!!!! 

@Chipmunk.....Omg that’s hysterical LOL. I didn’t even think of that but I would’ve thought the EXACT thing! All aboard on the confuscious train! Choooo chooooo

@kim....ughhhh I hate that! ID is great ... when the mail they say is coming is actually there but otherwise it’s just frustrating. I’m so glad the authorities weren’t called!! I know, I could be done with this roller coaster too but I guess it maybe the beginning of many. 

@shanny......He is definitely BACK!! I’m curious what was said about the Blue Angels. I love them!! We go to see them every summer in OCMD. This year they subbed in the Air Force Thunderbirds. Still good but not the BAs. Where is he attending school again? 

@kat.....you have me wanting to make apple pie!! I wonder if there’s a “healthy” recipe out there somewhere. Hmmmmmm? I love baking....cooking not so much. I’m not very good at multi tasking while cooking. So if things should be done in parallel...I’ll screw that up.  

Shanny, next thing to watch out for is him meeting a nice sailor girl.  It happens a lot.  I married two sailors.  One was divorced as fast as possible, the other stuck for 31 years.  (I am replying to the right mom about this, I hope).

Visiting  home.  Well.  Okay, in normal times, they would take ten days to two weeks of leave between A school and their first duty station.  Yes, it came out of their 30 earned leave days.  They could do RAP (recruiter assistance) and earn back five days.  THAT IS ALL  OUT THE WINDOW RIGHT NOW.

Now, there is no leave period between commands.  Whether or not they may take leave to travel home will be up to their individual command/base.  They won't know until they check in. A lot may depend on where their home is, and what the risk is there, and what their state has in place for quarantine and mandates.  A great big "it depends". 

Here is the latest update on leave and liberty policy:
https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article...

As for coming home to get married, well, even in normal times that's a great big maybe.  The usual route is her going to him and doing a courthouse marriage.  This also hinges on what his command is allowing for going offbase.  Then do a family celebration and vow renewal on one of their anniversaries.  Never be dead set on a white wedding in a hometown chapel for a sailor.  You might need to wait until they retire for that.  

Kim - don't go robbing banks without the posse!

Shanny - yay for momming!

Kristel -  I made a keto apple strudel this weekend to celebrate Oktoberfest. There are ways to do mostly healthy apple pie (except for the natural sugars in the apples).

I am going to try to put in a full work day today. I am still at 15-20 minutes at a time, so it might just take me longer than normal. My SR was excited to tell us that he is an O- (we always thought he was A+), and the Navy would fly him home if I ever needed blood (or if his sister or brother did). I told him a concussion doesn't need transfusions, but I would keep it in mind if I ever missed him too much.